To Free A Phoenix
by DarkWolf88
Summary: Hilary, Tyson and Kenny are up in the woods when they come across an ancient tomb, with a power creature hidden deep inside. As he awakens, the group finds that he is bound by blood to an evil human, but who? Will they be able to free him from his torturo
1. An Unexpected Discovery

_Yup...yet ANOTHER story from the worst author in the world! YIPPEE!_

_:cough:_

_Anyway...it's a strange story I know...based off a dream and possibly a few too manyepisodes of Escaflowne...and written in a car._

_So it sucks..._

_Anyway...enjoy if you can!_

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**Chapter One: An Unexpected Discovery**

A young teenaged girl sighed as she put her arm in front of her face, blocking out the harsh ray of the sun beating down on her.

"What a great day for a nice hike in the woods!" She smiled, looking back over her shoulder at two of her friends that had decided to come along, mainly because they were ordered to by the head of the BBA.

"So...hot!" A navy haired boy panted, struggling under the weight of his small backpack.

"Oh come on Tyson...you know you need the exercise...where did Kenny get to?" The two looked for their friend, and after a short while, a young boy with brown hair came trotting up the trail.

"Where were you!" The girl demanded to know.

"Geez! Sorry Hilary! I didn't know that I had to ask permission to go to the bathroom!"

Everyone seemed surprise that Kenny had revealed something like that, but shrugged it off and continued their hike.

"You know...I'm kinda glad that Mr. Dickinson suggested this place. It's really peaceful up here." Tyson looked about the trees, now providing a cooling shade as they walked along.

"Yeah...too bad we're suppost to be training for the next beyblade competition." Kenny added.

"Wow! Hey guys! Look at this!" Hilary rushed ahead of the group into the center of five extremely large trees.

Each tree was placed equal distance from the other, and in the very center, a large fire pit had been dug, and set up with old logs and blackened from previous use.

The girl placed her hand on one of the trucks of the tree, letting her fingers trail over different carved illustrations.

"It's some kind of ruin I bet!" Kenny exclaimed, somewhat excited by this find.

Tyson looked over Hilary's shoulder and together they studied the carvings.

"Yeah! These are cool!"

"I wonder who left these? They don't seem to be too old..." Hilary pondered.

"Someone could have gotten lost, and used these so he could tell if he'd been here before..." Kenny concluded to himself.

"Or someone got really bored..." Tyson said, noticing that the other four trees had cryptic symbols as well. "How 'bout we set up camp here!"

"Yeah! That's a great idea! I'll start the fire!" Hilary dropped her backpack and rushed over to the fire pit someone had left.

Retrieving a match from her pocket, she struck in against a rock and held the flame to the wood. It immediately burst into flames, surprising Hilary slightly.

The fire cracked for a few seconds, then suddenly, the earth trembled beneath the teens.

"What's going on!" Kenny screamed.

Suddenly, the ground beneath Hilary opened up, and she fell into a black abyss.

"Hilary!" Tyson ran over to the hole, reaching down as his friend fell through the air.

The brunette tried to reach him, but her hand missed by only inches.

She heard herself scream, and then all she knew was darkness.

"Hilary!"

She moaned as she heard a faint voice call her.

"Hilary! Can you hear me!" It was Tyson.

The teen moaned again and sat up slowly, bringing her hand to her head. "What happened?"

Aside from a massive headache, she was perfectly fine.

"Tyson?" She called up into a pillar of light flooding down from the hole she fell through.

"Thank God you're still alive!" The navy haired boy sighed with relief. "Is anything broken?"

"No...I'm alright. Throw down my bag will you?"

There was a rustling sound, and soon her pink backpack fell into her arms.

Setting it on the ground, she found her flashlight and turned it on to look around.

She gasped at what she saw.

"What is it Hilary!" Kenny asked, his head appearing over the hole.

"Guys! You should see it down here!"

She was in an ancient room, the sides of the walls intrically carved with symbols of an ancient language and scenes of events painted in once vibrant colors.

Proceeding closer, she noticed a large box in the center of the room. It was almost like a casket, but painted with the same symbols on the sides, and on the stone slab that lay on top, a picture of a beautiful crimson bird with its wings spread protectively across it.

She suddenly heard something hit the ground behind her, and whirled around.

Tyson had fallen, of course. Kenny was struggling repelling down from the surface.

"I told you to go slow!" He reprimanded his friend.

"Yeah yeah...hey!" Tyson caught sight of the room.

"It looks like...like and tomb!" Kenny's teeth chattered. He had heard too much of the ancient Egyptian curses placed in tombs when Pharaohs passed from the earth.

"Are we the first to ever set foot in here?" Hilary wondered out loud, stepping closer to the sarcophagus.

Her foot landed on a plate that sunk into the earth from the pressure.

Suddenly, the angry squeak of rusted metal being forced to move echoed through the tomb, and the lid of the coffin lifted up slowly.

Kenny let out a shriek as steam poured out from under the lid.

The stone slab suddenly fell off and shattered on the ground next to it.

Hilary jumped backward with a gasp, dropping her flashlight.

Crimson eyes pierced the darkness as a shadow rose from within the coffin. They narrowed slightly at Hilary, then surveyed the room.

The three teens backed up against the far wall, now scared of the creature they had just released.

They watched with wide eyes as they saw the silhouette emerge from the coffin and stand on two feet.

"Tyson! Shine your light at it!" Hilary shook his arms frantically.

The navy haired teen obeyed, and aimed his flashlight at the creature.

The light revealed a boy, around their same age, dressed in baggy leather pants and makeshift leather shoes. As the light traveled upward, the three teens saw his bare chest, well toned and covered slightly by a long sleeveless shirt, and two huge crimson feathered wings, trailing down past his ankles.

His left wing, however, appeared to be injured, for it hung limp behind him.

The creature had slate colored hair with a darker highlight in the back, and four cobalt blue triangles on his cheeks.

His glassy crimson eyes glared at the three intruders.

"He looks hungry guys..." Tyson swallowed hard.

"Shut up Tyson!" Hilary snapped, panic running through her veins.

"You who intrude on the tomb of the Phoenix!"

The sudden deep voice startled the teens even more.

The creature took a few steps closer to the group, the sound of a thick chain rattling as it trailed across the ground.

He growled ominously, baring pearly white fangs in Hilary's direction.

Tyson stepped in front of Hilary, glaring back at the creature as best he could.

He came within a few steps of the huddled group and stopped, staring down at them with his glowing eyes.

"Move away human!" He snarled.

"I don't think so! You'll have to get by me if you want Hilary!"

"So be it..."

The figure stretched his right wind, and suddenly flexed it forward, knocking Tyson a few feet to the left.

"Tyson!" Hilary and Kenny exclaimed.

The brunette girl tried to run over to her friend, but was suddenly grabbed by her throat and held at least a foot off the ground.

She choked back a fearful sob as the phoenix hybrid stared at her with shiny crimson orbs.

Was she really going to die here?

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_okay...weird I know_

_PLEASE REVIEW and tell me if I should continue!_


	2. The Blood Bond

_Holy...! Over 20 reviews already!_

_I must have hit a subject that everyone likes! heh heh..._

_Thanks for all the great comments! I'm glad people enjoy this thing already!_

_A warning for this chapter...It's boring plain and simple. It has a lot of dialogue in it which I don't like, but it's one of those needed chapters in order to explain a lot of things. I went back and rewrote a few things because I thought they may be too confusing...so hopefully I won't confuse the heck out of people..._

_Oh, and before I forget…to the reviewer **mrsalexwatkins** , you said something about someone copying a story of mine? Please give me the details about that! Thanks!_

_So...here's the next chapter!_

_Enjoy if you can!_

**Chapter Two: The Blood Bond**

The blue haired creature brought his free arm back, his long claws extended to dig into Hilary.

"What...what do you want!" She sobbed, grabbing the arm holding her tightly and trying to escape.

The creature paused for a moment, his eyes flashing slightly.

Suddenly, he inched his face closer to hers, sniffing silently as if trying to catch her scent.

"You...you're a...female." He seemed surprised.

His eyes suddenly widened as scenes began to play back from his memories.

"What do you want! Why did you hurt my mother!" His younger cried out in his head.

Suddenly, he hissed and dropped Hilary, clutching his left shoulder in pain. He sunk to the ground, closing his eyes tightly and hung his head low, almost in shame.

The three teens stared at the creature in amazement for a few moments, before Hilary silently crept over and reached out to touch him.

"Hilary! What the heck are you doing!" Tyson suddenly exclaimed.

"He tried to kill you!" Kenny added.

"Shhh! He's hurt! Can't you see it?" She hushed, not taking her eyes of the creature.

"Stay away..." He bellowed.

The brunette withdrew her hand slightly. "We won't hurt you...oh! I know..."

She turned around to her backpack and dug around. After a few moments, she found it.

"Here! Try this!" Hilary held the item in front of her.

"So you were the one that stole my chips!" Tyson exclaimed.

The creature's head rose slightly, sniffing the air. "No...I require no food..."

The navy haired teen stood up, brushing the dust from his clothes, and attracting the attention of the winged boy in front of him.

"Um...Tyson?" Kenny started.

Tyson began to walk over to Hilary, in hopes of reclaiming his snack, but was suddenly startled by another booming voice.

"Don't take another step!"

It was too late. Tyson's foot slammed down on yet another pressure switch, and the cave began to rumble.

"Tyson you idiot! What did you do know!" Hilary yelled over the noise.

"Get out of the way!" The creature jumped out for the two, and tackled them to the ground just as a large boulder fell from the ceiling, allowing more light into the dark cave.

"Tyson! Hilary!" Kenny exclaimed, batting the smokey air around him.

As the smoke cleared, three figures emerged.

The phoenix hybrid was shielding the two teens with his body! He leaned back on his legs and sighed.

"Are you alright?"

"So first you want to kill us, then you save us!" Tyson blurted out.

"I am sorry...I was ordered to kill anyone who set me free before my master...but she was the one that did so...and I will not take the life of any female."

"Well that's very noble of you." Tyson replied snidely, crossing his arms over his chest.

Hilary sat up and stared at her rescuer hard before letting out a surprised gasp.

"You're...you're blind!" This got everyone's attention.

Tyson stared hard into the creatures eyes, and indeed, they were void of any pupil, and glazed over with almost a lifeless quality to them.

"Not as you know the word...I just see in a different way."

"How!" Kenny gasped, curiosity once again getting the best of him. "Ah! You must see heat signatures!"

"Wha?" Tyson's brow furrowed in confusion.

The creature nodded slowly. "Indeed."

"Alright! I need some explanations!" Tyson exclaimed.

The phoenix sighed and looked away.

"I suppose I must tell you...since you have come across my tomb..." He stopped and glanced at Hilary. "I am called Kai. I was born to a clan of phoenixes that had magical powers to grant anything we would desire. We all lived in peace until I was 5 of your years...my clan was wiped out, leaving me as the sole survivor."

The three teens gasped softly.

Kai diverted his gaze to the wall on his right, a once colorful scene portraying the story he was telling.

"I was taken into your civilization by a man named Voltaire, who named me and raised me...but along the way he forced me to make a bond with him as was the custom of my people."

He grabbed hold of the gold collar around his neck, a thick chain hanging down and connecting him with the floor beside his casket.

"I was forced to do terrible things under him...but one day, he fell ill, and transferred the bond to my current master...Boris Balkov. This was over 100 of your years ago."

"Wait a minute...you're saying that you're over 100 years old!"

Kai nodded. "My kind age slowly compared to humans..."

"And you can't die...right?"

It was everyone's turn to look at Hilary now.

"If you're a phoenix...then you don't die...You are reborn in your ashes..."

The creature nodded again. "But when that time comes, I won't be the same as I am now...I will look entirely different, and have no memory of my past life."

"What about this bond? If that was made over 100 years ago, that Boris guy would be dead. but why were you still sealed inside this cave?" Kenny asked.

Kai growled. "Boris sealed me down here, saying he would come back for me when I was needed. He broke my wing to insure that I couldn't escape." He grabbed his left shoulder again.

"That's harsh!" Tyson exclaimed.

"Well after hearing that story, we can't just leave you down here..." Hilary started.

"But it's getting late...and Mr. Dickinson will be back with the car to pick us up sometime soon!" Kenny stated, looking up into the giant hole above them. The sky was turning orange and red as the sun began to set.

"Yes...please return to your world." Kai stood up and walked back to his casket. He extended his hand over the crushed lid, and with a bright spark of light, it was repaired.

Hilary jumped to her feet. "I don't think so! You saved us, and you don't deserve to spend the rest of our days in the dark!"

Tyson nodded. "Yeah! I say we all get outta here together!"

Kai looked over his shoulder at the three teens, confusion in his eyes. "But..."

"Tell me what to do! We'll make a new bond, and then that chain will come off, and you can come back with us!"

The blue haired phoenix stood there for a moment, before smirking and letting a soft chuckle escape his throat.

"As you wish."

He bent down on his knees in front of Hilary. "Give me your hand."

The brunette swallowed her fear and obeyed.

"This will sting..." Using his long claw-like nails, he cut Hilary's finger slightly, drawing a crimson liquid from under the skin.

Kai did the same with his finger, and watched it bleed for a moment.

"When our fingers touch, be sure to state your name, and your terms of the bond."

Hilary nodded, inching her finger closer until the two touched, and their blood mixed.

"I, Hilary Tatibana, form a new bond with Kai, that he will be free to walk the earth and serve no evil purpose!"

When she finished her words, a bright light erupted between the two.

Hilary felt a strange heat run through her body and suddenly, she fell back as a sudden shock ran up her arm.

The light faded as quickly as it came, and Kai stood to his feet.

"You did well...thank you Hilary." He extended his hand down to her and helped her to her feet.

Suddenly, the chain connected to his gold collar broke and fell to the ground with a loud clank.

The brunette smiled up at the phoenix.

"Alright! Let's get out of here!"  
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_Yeah...I know it was boring...but it had to be done in order to explain things..._

_I tried to make it simpler because it originally was getting confusing...so hopefully everyone can understand this story._

_The action will pick up soon, I promise!_

_Now..._

_REVIEW! Please?_


	3. Free Again

_Hey people! Thanks for the great reviews last time!_

_I have something that needs to be said now...if any of you have read "Heaven's Light" recently, then you can skip down to the where the chapter starts...but if you DIDN'T read my note in that fic, then please read it now._

_I've been EXTREMELY busy lately, so I won't be able to work much on these fics...so deal with it. I'm sick of getting reviews that only say that I need to update with in a certain amount of time because that person won't be able to read it or something._

_It's not my fault if you can't get to a computer...the fic will be there whenever you get back._

_Believe it or not, I do have a life, and a bunch of crap to put up with in my personal life, so yeah...sometimes I can't sit down and type something up. There are others authors out there that know what I'm talking about...(Phoenix-chan:) ) and frankly the impatient people that demand things of me usually never get it. I'm sick of it._

_So...please respect the fact that I do have more important things to do that update stories that I'm not getting paid to do._

_Oh! I have something else that needs to be addressed for this story...since someone brought it up..._

_This **isn't** like the series...**Kai isn't human**...and he **doesn't** beyblade (though he might later)._

_So yeah...I think that should wrap it all up...for now_

_Here's the next chapter...enjoy if possible_

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**Chapter 3 – Free Again**

"Alright! Let's get out of here!" Tyson exclaimed, grabbing the rope and preparing to climb up and out of the cave.

"Oh_ this_ will be good…" Hilary smirked and crossed her arms.

"Oof!" Tyson fell on his rear again.

Kenny moaned in embarrassment for his friend.

"There has to be an easier way than that to get out of here…" Hilary started.

Suddenly, an arm wrapped around her waist tightly and soon she found herself flying up out of the cave and landing safely on the surface.

"What the…" She looked over to her side and saw Kai.

He had leapt up out of the cave!

"Well…that works…" Tyson blinked up at the two.

The phoenix stepped into the hole again and landed back in the cave to retrieve the two remaining teens.

Soon, everyone was back on the surface and walking back to find their ride.

"Wait a minute!" Kenny's sudden voice stopped everyone in their tracks. "What are we going to do about him!" He pointed at Kai. "He has wings! We can't just show up with him and expect Mr. Dickinson to ignore that fact!"

"Oh…that's not a problem…" Kai replied simply.

Suddenly, his crimson wings began to recede into his back, leaving only a few fiery feathers behind.

"Wow…" Hilary gasped.

"That was easy…now we just have to think up a story…" Tyson started, already thinking.

"There you are! I was getting worried about you three!"

Hilary, Tyson and Kenny all jumped at the sudden voice. They turned around and saw Mr. Dickinson, waiting by his black sedan.

"Sorry we're late!" Hilary bowed politely.

"Who's this?" The elder looked directly at Kai with a questioning look.

"Oh him? We found him…" Tyson started, but was quickly cut off by Hilary and Kenny.

"He lives up here by himself! We came across his house when we were hiking…and thought he would like to see the city!" Kenny exclaimed.

"Yeah! He said he wanted to…uh….move there! So he's going to stay with us for a while! Do you think you can drop us off downtown?" Hilary pulled at the old clothes on the phoenix. "We want to take him shopping!"

The elder could only blink at them. It was certainly as strange story, and the teens didn't think he was going to buy it either.

"Um…sure…that shouldn't be a problem…."

"Yes! Thank you Mr. D!" The three exclaimed.

Hilary and Tyson quickly pushed Kai into the back seat and got inside. Kenny closed the door quickly behind him.

Mr. Dickinson shook his head and got into the front passenger seat, signaling his driver to start the car.

The car slowed to a stop next to a department store, and Tyson, Hilary and Kenny all got out.

Kai stumbled slightly, before Hilary grabbed his arm and helped him out of the car.

"Thanks again Mr. Dickinson! We'll walk home from here!" Tyson waved as the car began to pull away.

"What are these…things!" Kai's eyes were darting all over the place. There were so many heat signatures that it was almost confusing him.

"Those are cars…they're how we get around now and days." Kenny started.

"They have no heart…are they…machines?"

"Yeah…and don't get too close to them while they're moving. They will run you over." Hilary replied.

"Is that a bad thing?" Kai looked at her, curiously.

"Um…guys…let's hurry up and find something for him to wear…" Tyson said, feeling uneasy with all the stares the blue haired phoenix was getting with his ancient clothing.

Kai found himself being pulled into a large department store.

Hilary led him through isles of clothes, each filled with a few people that would stop and stare at the group as they made their way through.

"There are many humans here…are there more?"

Kai's question was ignored as he was pushed into a dressing room. Tyson slammed the door shut and guarded it as Hilary and Kenny rushed around trying to find some more civilized clothes.

"What's going on?" Kai asked from behind the door, but something else quickly caught his attention.

He stared at the full length mirror attached to the wall of the dressing room, his body heat reflecting back to him.

"It's…it's another phoenix!"

"What are you talking about?" Tyson asked quickly.

"There's someone else in here!"

Tyson dove under a rack of clothes as a group of people walked by, staring strangely at the talking dressing room.

"Ugh….this is going to be a_ looong_ day!" The navy haired teen rubbed his eyes. "That's a mirror! Have you never _seen_ yourself before!"

"Oh….so _this_ is what I look like?"

Suddenly, a pile of different clothes were thrown over his head.

"I sure hope you know how to dress yourself!" Tyson called from outside.

"Tyson you idiot! He's like…over a hundred years old!"

Kai ignored them as he shook off the clothes.

"All those shirts are the same color…so you don't have to worry about not matching." Hilary called through the door.

The phoenix had no idea what she was talking about, but quickly changed into the new clothes.

After a few minutes, he managed to find a pair of jeans and a black sleeveless shirt that fit, and walked out.

"Wow! What a difference!" Hilary smiled, her cheeks heating up slightly.

Tyson and Kenny snickered at her, but were silenced by a ruby death glare.

"Okay! Let's go pay for this stuff and go home!"

"Um…just one problem…we don't have any money…do we?" Tyson started.

"Relax! I have my dad's credit card!"

After paying for the clothes, they all walked out of the store, no longer bothered by strange looks from the crowds passing them by.

They proceeded to walk back to their homes, since it was now getting late. Hilary clutched to Kai's arm so he wouldn't get lost in the crowd of people. She had to admit to herself…she liked being this close to him.

Tyson heaved a sigh of relief. "Thank god that's over with!"

"So, now what are we going to do? We'll have to find out some place for him to stay….**without** giving away the fact that he's an ancient phoenix with special powers!" Kenny stated, throwing his arms out for emphasis.

"He can stay at my place…we'll just have to make sure that he doesn't run into grandpa…" Tyson started.

"Well…my dad's away on business for a couple of weeks, so he can stay at my house." Hilary said. "Plus…who_ knows_ what will happen if he gets caught with your grandfather…he might lose his patience and blow up the whole dojo!"

Kai stared down at her as if she was crazy.

"Alright then…" Kenny started. "I'll see you guys tomorrow!" With that, he disappeared down the opposite street, headed toward his parent's shop.

The remaining three continued to walk in silence until they came to Hilary's house.

"Hey, if you need any help…just call." Tyson said as Hilary led Kai up the stairs and onto the porch.

"Okay…thanks Tyson!" Hilary smiled as she waved her friend goodbye.

Once inside, Hilary led the blue haired phoenix up the stairs and down a short hallway.

"Okay Kai…let's get you cleaned up!" Hilary exclaimed, pushing the phoenix into a large bathroom. "Here…take off your clothes and wrap this around your waist…I'll be back with soap and stuff…" She tossed Kai a large, fluffy bath towel and rushed down the hall.

The phoenix seemed confused, but obeyed nevertheless.

When the brunette returned, she nearly dropped her supplies in astonishment. She found herself staring at the sculpted muscles in Kai's back, and as he turned around, the well developed muscles in his chest and abdomen.

Her ruby eyes trailed down to his hips, where the towel was knotted at the side.

"Hilary?" His voice broke her daydream, and she found herself blushing a brilliant shade of red.

Kai cocked his head to the side, staring in her direction.

"Oh!" She shook her head furiously and put the tub of shampoos and soaps on the counter. "There you go! I'll leave you to take a shower and wash up. When you're done…I'll give you a haircut and help you with those wings."

"Hair…cut?" Kai had never heard that term before. His hand went up to pull at one of his bangs, feeling how long his hair was. It trailed down to his chin.

"Yeah…your hair is all uneven and scruffy looking…so I'll trim it up for you." Hilary smiled, turning around to leave the bathroom. "You _do_ know how to wash yourself…don't you?"

Kai nodded silently, seemingly confused as to why she even asked the question.

He heard her sigh in relief. "Good…"

After a long while fumbling for the shampoo that Hilary had told him to use, Kai miraculously managed to wash his hair and body, a century of dust swirling down the drain with the water.

Once he was done, he did, in fact, feel refreshed and clean, something he hadn't been able to realize before.

Finding his towel, he wrapped it around his lower regions as Hilary requested just as a knock sounded at the door.

"Are you done?" It was Hilary.

"I think so…"

The door opened, and Hilary stepped in with some styling scissors and hair brushes and combs.

Trying desperately to ignore the fact that he was half naked, she pulled out a wooden stool and had him sit down on it.

She began to comb through his damp blue lock silently, having trouble with a few tangles. She managed to comb through most of them, but decided to give up on the tougher knots and just cut them off.

"Thank you…for doing this for me…" Kai started, wincing as the comb hit another tangle. "This is the first time I've been shown kindness from a human."

"I'm sorry to hear that…" Hilary said, her voice somewhat sad. "It's a shame that you were treated so badly in the past…but don't worry! My friends and I will **never** treat you like that!"

A small smirk crossed the phoenix's face. Even though his trust for humans had been broken many times, for some reason, this girl's words seemed sincere.

Hilary took out her scissors and began snipping away inches of blue hair, the noise surprising Kai slightly.

"You don't have to worry…my mom used to go to beauty school…and when I was little, she would let me cut the hair on the dummy heads she would bring home. I got pretty good too!" Hilary smiled proudly, cutting another inch off his bangs.

There was a long silence before Kai spoke up.

"Did something happen to her?"

"What?"

"You are full of sadness when you speak of her…what…happened?" Kai's voice became quiet.

"She died almost four years ago…"

"Oh….I'm sorry…"

"It's alright." Hilary smiled gently, patting his shoulder softly.

"I've…lost my mother as well…" He shifted uncomfortably as he stared off at the far wall, wishing he didn't bring up the subject.

"There! All done!" Hilary smiled and ruffled Kai's blue hair, now tangle free and short and even.

The phoenix reached up and ran his fingers through his hair, feeling the difference.

"Thank you."

"Now…let's start on those wings!"

"Are they dirty too?"

"Well…you obviously haven't been using them much. I'll just wash the dust off with the shower. Plus, I'm sure you'd like to stretch them out." Hilary patted his left shoulder playfully, causing a grimace from the phoenix. "Oh yeah! I'll have to find a way to brace that broken one…"

With that, the two giant crimson wings reappeared out of this back, showering the floor with blood red feathers.

"If you can hold the bones in place…I'll be able to heal them myself." Kai said as Hilary walked around to face him.

The brunette nodded, and gently grabbed the boney part of his wing.

It was indeed broken…the bone had snapped in three places, causing the wing to bend at disturbing angles.

Struggling slightly, she managed to line up two of the bones, and suddenly felt warmth beneath her fingers.

Kai closed his eyes in concentration as his body began to glow, emitting a strange but soothing heat.

Hilary heard a crackle, and then suddenly felt the two bones seal back in place.

She moved over to the remaining break, and the same process repeated itself. Within the next five minutes, Kai's wing was as good as new!

"That's awesome! Can you heal anything?" Hilary asked with fascination, grabbing the pull out shower head and began to spray down the fiery feathers with warm water.

"I have some limitations…but in most cases I can heal any type of injury." Kai replied, closing his eyes again as the warm water splashed against his wings.

He felt at peace for the first time in what seemed like forever…but that feeling was strange. He had experienced the bad side of the human nature for so long, and now that he had met this girl, all that hatred was disappearing.

"Hey Hiwary? Are you in here…" A sleepy voice came from down the hallway.

The brunette froze, and Kai opened his eyes at the sense of another human close by.

There was a loud gasp from the open door as Hilary's little sister dropped her teddy bear.

"Hana! Wha…what are you doing up!" The brunette asked, trying to block her view of Kai, but it was useless.

"Is he…an angel!" The four year old girl stared at the phoenix with wide, bright eyes. A smile appeared on her face as she stared at the beautiful crimson wings, now shimmering with fresh drops of water in the artificial light.

A questioning sound rumbled in Kai's throat as he stared back at this new human, curious as to why she was in Hilary's home.

"Hana no!" Hilary exclaimed as her sister rushed through her legs and over to the phoenix.

Kai jumped up from the stool and retreated a few steps, not sure of this girl's intentions.

"You have pretty wings mister angel." She smiled cutely up at Kai, who only stared back at her with confusion.

It was only when Hana reached out and stroked the soft feathers that Kai began to relax, now knowing that this girl was no enemy.

Hilary was about to intervene when suddenly, Kai bent down to Hana's height, staring blindly in her eyes. The older brunette decided to sit back and watch what would happen.

"What's it like in heaven?" The little girl asked cutely.

"I'm no angel…" Kai replied simply, his voice seemed sad.

"Oh…" The girl's voice showed her disappointment. "But you can fly there…right?"

The blue haired phoenix remained silent for a moment, not sure how to answer.

"If you can, could you take me there? I want to say 'hi' to mommy!"

"Hana…" Hilary started.

"I never knew her…but I know she was a really good mommy! Hiwary told me all about her….and how she died so I could live!" Hana smiled sadly. "I just want her to know what I look like now….and to thank her."

Kai placed his pale hand on her head. "What a wonderful person she was, to do that for you. I'm sorry…but I can not take you to heaven, but I know for a fact that she is watching you from there. She will always be with you…in your heart…and no matter what, she know what you want to say, and I'm sure she's happy…happy to see that her daughters still love her this much."

Hana stared at her feet for a few moments, and then looked back up at Kai with a bright smile.

"Thank you…" Hilary voice was just above a whisper, tears threatening to fall. She bent down and picked her little sister up in her arms.

After tucking her sister back in bed, she returned to the bathroom with a pair of her father's pajamas.

"I'm sorry….to make you sad." Kai's voice immediately started as she entered.

"Oh don't worry!" Hilary replied, smiling at the blind phoenix. "You made us both happy. I don't think she's truly smiled for a while now…even though our mother died when she was so little…"

She suddenly felt a warm hand on her cheek, wiping away a single tear that had escaped her ruby eye.

"Kai…" She gasped.

The phoenix withdrew his hand and stared at it, squeezing the wet droplet between his fingers. He blinked, unable to figure out what it was exactly.

"Come on…" Hilary smiled, grabbing his hand gently. "You'll have to stay in the guest room. It's right next to mine." She led the blue haired teen down to the remaining room on the top floor.

Opening the door, the brunette allowed Kai inside. He seemed loost, wandering straight in with hands outward until his legs contacted with the bed.

He patted the firm mattress. "A bed?"

Hilary nodded. "Of course!"

"…are you sure? It isn't allowed…"

The brunette blinked, not believing her ears. Suddenly, she remembered about his horrible past. He must have been treated extremely badly to be refused a bed!

"Kai…forget everything that's happened before. You are allowed to do whatever you want, when you want."

The phoenix started at her, and then suddenly a smirk crawled across his face. "Thank you."

Hilary nodded in reply, and handed over the pajamas. With that, the room was then closed, and Kai was allowed to sleep in a peace that he hadn't felt in a hundred years. He finally felt free, just as he had been long ago.

----------------

_Phew! 10 pages oh my gosh!_

_My computer's been screwed up for a while, and I haven't been able to transfer my stories so I had to write this up again…but at least the next few chapters of this story are written and done with._

_Before you say it, I **know** Kai is OOC…but I have my reasons._

_As this story goes on, he will gradually become more in character._

_So…please review! I'm sorry for the long chapter…and I know that it had a bunch of random sappy things in it…but there **will** be a point to it later…I promise!_


	4. Something Not Expected

_**Kai's Vision Explained**_

_**If you are confused about how exactly Kai sees the world…read this:**_

_If you've seen the movie "Daredevil" …it's very similar…though Kai doesn't have to tap something to hear it in order to see it. Kai can see heat signatures, which is like an infrared scanner or something like it. That means that he can see body temperatures. So basically, he's blind to anything that doesn't have some kind of heat to it._

_I don't know why…but I just wanted to make Kai like that for at least one fic…originally, he was going to be 100 blind…but I figured I better find some way for him to see a little._

_---_

_This story is, unfortunately, moving faster than I had expected…but oh well. I had wanted to put more Kai/Hilary moments in here…but it doesn't look like it's going to happen._

_I do, however, promise one…possibly two real fluffy scenes toward the end or so!_

_  
So, without further ado, on with the chapter! _

Enjoy if you can!

_Oh, and thanks for all the reviews last chapter!_

**---------------------**

**Chapter 4 – Something Not Expected**

Hilary awoke early the next morning.

Rubbing her eyes sleepily, she treaded across the hall and into the bathroom to take a shower and get ready for the day.

Once she was dressed, she headed back into her room but was stopped as she heard a horrible crash inside the guest room.

She rushed over and threw the door open, only to see a winged teenaged boy. He appeared only a few years older than her, and he was bent over a broken lamp.

Hilary blinked. It _wasn't_ a dream! She really _did_ have a phoenix living in her house!

"Kai! Are you alright? What happened?"

Her voice seemed to have surprised the blue haired teen. He jumped and stared at her, worry clouding his expression.

"I'm sorry…I didn't realize it was there…" With that, he held his hands over the shattered remains of the porcelain lamp.

Hilary watched on with curiosity as his pale hands began to glow with an amber aura, and soon, the pieces of the lamp began to float in midair.

Kai snapped his finger, and the parts instantly arranged themselves and formed back into a lamp, working and all!

The brunette could only stare in disbelief as Kai grabbed hold of it and set it back on the bedside table.

"I was stretching…that's all…and I must have knocked it off…"

Hilary shook her head, ignoring the excuse. "It's alright…you fixed it didn't you?" She smiled brightly at her tall friend and giggled. "Would you like some breakfast?"

Kai was led downstairs and into the kitchen, where he took a seat on a barstool at the counter.

He stared at Hilary's back while she prepared a breakfast of eggs, bacon, sausage and hash browns.

The smell of the food quickly permeated throughout the house, and through Kai's senses, causing an almost purring noise in his chest.

After about ten minutes, a plate was pushed under Kai's nose, sending him back into reality.

"It smells delicious!" The phoenix smiled slightly, blindly picking up a knife and stabbing a sausage.

"Hana! Breakfast!" The brunette yelled up the stairs at her sister.

A few minutes later, the small child ran down the stairs and took a seat next to Kai, who was happily chewing on his sausage.

"Wow! You're still here!" A large smile crawled on Hana's face. "Are you going to live with us?"

Kai stared at her for a moment, and then glanced at Hilary, then back at Hana. "Um…"

"I would like that a lot! You seem like a lot of fun to have around! I bet you know a lot of cool games too!"

"Hana eat your eggs before they get cold!"

"But they were cold when you gave them too me!"

As Hilary growled at her reflection in the window, Kai held his hand out over the plate.

"What are you doing?" Hana asked cutely, staring up into his crimson eyes.

"Watch…"

The same amber glow that Hilary had seen when Kai repaired the lamp appeared again, but steam began to rise up off the plate, and a crackling sound was heard like a fire.

When he removed his hand, the plate was hot again, and Hana cheered in happiness.

"Maybe _you_ should cook instead of Hiwary!"

"Hana! EAT!"

Finally, breakfast was over with and Hana rushed out the door to meet her friend, who's mother was taking them to the park for the day.

Kai had gotten used to the house and the surrounding area, and didn't have one bit of trouble finding his way around. Hilary figured it was because he had a sharp memory, and not being able to see that he could learn so quickly. In fact, if she hadn't known any better, she wouldn't have known he was blind!

"Alright…we'll be over in a few minutes then…okay, see you soon." The brunette hung up the phone. She had just been speaking with Tyson, and she was to bring Kai over and they were all going to head down to the beach to practice beyblading.

She glanced out the kitchen window to see the crimson winged phoenix in the back yard, stretching his wings out to their full span and flapping them, creating a great wind beneath him. That seemed to have satisfied him, so he brought them high over his head and with one mighty flap, he soared up into the air. Another weaker flap brought him to hover about six feet off the ground.

Hilary walked outside to watch him as he tested the strength of each wing, darting back and forth in the air.

Suddenly, as if sensing her eyes on him, he dropped back to the ground and turned around.

"Everything working?"

Kai nodded. "Indeed. Thank you for your help." He bowed his head slightly.

Hilary smiled at him. "Come on, we're going over to Tyson's so he can test out this new beyblade of his on the beach."

The phoenix had seemed to have heard this term before, but didn't say a word as he followed the brunette out to the front of the house and up the street.

The two walked down a block and started to cross the street to get over into Tyson's neighborhood.

Hilary thought they might get there without any problems, but she was wrong. It was only a matter of time before Kai did _something_ inhuman in public anyway.

A large dump truck sped down the hill toward them as they were half way across the street. It appeared that he didn't realize how fast he was going, or what was in the road.

Kai had stopped, and glared at the truck as it sped closer.

"Kai! Get out of the road!" Hilary exclaimed, rushing back to him.

But Kai didn't move, in fact, it was as if he _wanted_ to get hit!

He soon got his wish, as the truck slammed into him at full speed.

Hilary dove out of the way and rolled onto the sidewalk, staring back at what she expected to be a very flat phoenix, but instead, she saw something incredible!

The truck's back wheels were high in the air and still spinning frantically. Kai had stopped it with his bare hands, at least half a foot inside the front grill of the truck. The driver appeared to have noticed that he hit something, and laid off the accelerator.

Soon, the truck fell back on to all four wheels, and Kai immerged, bathed in a shower of steam from the busted radiator.

"Kai!" Hilary rushed over to him.

Most of the damaged had occurred to the truck, rather than Kai. He only suffered burns on his hands, but they were quickly healed with his magic.

"But…how…?" The brunette glanced from the phoenix to the truck in disbelief.

"What the heck!" The driver jumped out of the front seat, staring at the wreckage. "The radiator's busted! Are you kids alright!"

Kai only glared at him, causing the man to retreat back to the side of the truck.

"That's impossible!" He exclaimed, staring at Kai in horror. "You can't be human!" His eyes traveled to the grill of his truck. Handprints were clearly visible from where Kai had grabbed hold of it.

By now, quite a crowd of people had gathered on the streets. They all murmured to themselves at the unexplained event as Hilary dragged Kai over toward the sidewalk.

"What the heck were you thinking!"

"You said that those machines would run over people…and he was bound to hurt someone at that speed…"

Hilary let out a miserable sigh and sunk to the ground. "I give up…"

Tyson and Kenny suddenly appeared in the crowd and pushed their way over to them.

"What happened? You could hear the crash at my house! You guys alright?" Tyson asked.

"Oh boy…" Kenny started. "_This_ is sure to be on the news tonight!"

So, after hurrying away from the wreck before the police showed up, Tyson, Hilary, Kenny and Kai found themselves walking down through the town on their way to the beach.

"This is the _coolest_ beyblade chief! Are you sure it's stronger than Dragoon Storm?" Tyson asked, admiring his new beyblade as he held it in the sky.

Kenny started with a long speech about how long he had worked on it, but Hilary interrupted him.

"What _is_ it with those bey thingies! They're just _toys_! Will you _ever_ grow up Tyson!"

"You're just jealous Hilary! I bet if _you_ could beyblade, you would be just as obsessed, if not more!" Tyson shouted back.

"Tyson, even if I _could_, why would I want to waste my time and money on them?"

"I bet Kai would like it!" The navy haired teen exclaimed proudly.

"He would probably beat your sorry butt at it too!" Hilary glanced over her shoulder at the phoenix. "What do you think Kai? ….Kai?"

There was no answer, causing the group to stop and turn around.

"Kai?" Hilary asked again.

The phoenix in question was standing completely still, seemingly lost in though. Upon closer inspection, Hilary found that his face had paled considerably, and a look of sheer horror was plastered on his tattooed face.

"How is it possible…he's…he's here…but how?"

They could only stare as he mumbled words to himself, barely at a volume that could be heard by the normal human ear.

Hilary decided to give him a poke, hoping he would wake up from whatever trance he was in.

At her slightest touch, he flung his head around, staring into the crowd on the opposite side of the road, and then froze again.

"Should we just leave him like that?" Tyson asked.

"Something's wrong…" Hilary murmured back, a bad feeling brewing in her stomach. She'd never seen him act so strange in the short time she had known him…it was possible this was normal, but something strongly told her otherwise.

The blue haired phoenix growled, bending his knees as if he were to lunge out into the street. "There you are!" He exclaimed.

Hilary's suspicions were confirmed when suddenly, a black blur shot across the street.

It was like the starting shot at the beginning of a race, and Kai leapt out in the street, the back of his shirt ripping as his crimson wings began to grow out of his back.

"Kai! Wait!"

But it was too late.

The blue haired phoenix spread his wings and took off in the blink of an eye, swerving in between two skyscrapers across the street and disappearing from sight after that black blur.

"Great!" Tyson sighed as Hilary started to run after him.

----------

_Told you the action would pick up! And there's a fight scene next chapter! _

_I bet everyone can guess what this "black blur" is…_

_This chapter had some random things in it too, like last chapter, but they all show what kind of powers Kai has…and stuff._

_  
Please review!_


	5. Fallen Phoenix

_Thank you all for the great reviews last chapter!_

Anyway...the action kicks up in this chapter, but since I'm not liking the pace I've set, I'm going to slow it down a bit after the next chapter.

I'm not sure if this is going to be confusing to anyone...I'm trying to keep it simple.

So...here's the next chapter!

Enjoy if you can!   
  
------------------------------------  
**Chapter 5 - Fallen Phoenix**

Tyson and Kenny wondered around the city after Hilary, who appeared to know where she was going.

"This way!" She pointed down an alleyway and hurried down it.

The two boys followed, Tyson on the verge of collapsing.

"What makes you so sure he went this way?" The navy haired teen shouted as he regained his breath.

"I'm not sure...it's like I can feel him." Hilary replied, pretending that Tyson hadn't yelled.

"Ah!" Kenny seemed impressed. "I bet it's because of that bond between you two! I wonder if he can feel where you are as well!"

"Chief...you think too much!" Tyson sighed, rubbing his knuckles on top of the small boy's head.

Suddenly, a loud, unearthly growl erupted in the distance, followed by a huge puff of smoke, quickly climbing high into the sky.

The three teens ran over a block to see what had happened.

People that had been on the sidewalks were now crowded around a gaping hole in the middle of the street.

"What happened? Did someone fall?"

Tyson, Hilary and Kenny pushed their way through the commotion and to the edge of the hole.

"Are we being attacked?"

Suddenly, the smoke was pushed up into the sky as a dark purple aura shot out.

The crowd gasped and retreated back to the sidewalks as a figure emerged from inside the crater.

"Kai?" Tyson asked out loud.

"That's not Kai!" Hilary seemed frightened. She had fallen to her knees as she stared at the figure, black wings spreading out on each side.

An evil laugh bounced off the crowded buildings, giving it the effect that it was coming from all sides.

The wings flapped twice as they drew the being down to the asphalt.

Murmurs went through the crowd as everyone shot each other confused looks.

"Where's Kai?" Hilary asked herself, looking around. She couldn't find him. Had this creature been the one he ran off to find?

The figured walked out of the smoke and into the clear light, staring hard at everyone around him.

He was wearing a dark purple suit, hidden beneath a black trench coat. He had thinning purple hair to match, with long, thick sideburns inching their way toward the corners of his mouth.

What Hilary found most frightening was the red lensed goggles covering his eyes. They seemed to pierce into the very soul of a person, and sent strong chills down her spine.

"He's...pure evil!" The brunette gasped.

Everyone watched as his black wings folded behind him as he began to approach the crowd.

"Come on Hilary...let's get out of here!" Tyson tried to pull the brunette to her feet, but she was anchored to the spot!

"Kai!" The black phoenix called out, surprising the three teens. "Show yourself you coward!"

With that, he extended his arm in the same manner Kai had done before and shot out a dark purplish blast into the crowd, scattering them up and down the street.

He continued to scatter fire until most of the people had run to safety.

Tyson, Kenny and Hilary were forced off to the side of a building.

Hilary felt a slight twinge of panic rush through her as the man's eyes came to rest on her, an evil smirk crawling on his face.

"Excellent..." He snickered, walking slowly toward the group.

"Come on Hilary! Get up already!" Tyson heaved her to her feet and tried to get her to move, but her feet still were glued to the pavement.

The black phoenix was now only a few feet away from them.

"Stay back!" Tyson shouted bravely, standing in front of his friends.

"Foolish human!" With a flick of his wrist, Tyson was sent flying down the street into a crowd of people.

Kenny ran off after him after Hilary had whispered for him to run.

"What _brave _friends you have...little girl." His smile broadened on one side.

"What do you want?" Hilary demanded, her eyes narrowing. She wanted to run, but she felt that some strange magic was holding her down.

The man eyed her, taking in every inch of her body. "So you are the one that opened the tomb. You've stolen something valuable to me, and I want him back!" His voice hissed in anger as his red lensed goggles flared.

Hilary gasped. This was the man that sealed Kai away...this...was Boris!

"So you're Boris..." The brunette glowered at him. "You don't deserve Kai's power! You just exploited him and locked him away like some old play thing!"

"Ah...how quick you are to defend him...I've never seen a human loyal to the servant before...but just as well...if you are done away with, Kai will once again be free, and I will renew my bond with him!"

"And how do you plan to accomplish that!" Hilary shouted. "He'll never join up with you again!"

"He will if he has the right motives..." With that, Boris wrapped his gloved hand around Hilary's mouth.

She struggled to get away, clawing at his sleeve with all her might. Suddenly, she felt a cold aura coming from his palm, and she instantly knew that this was the end.

"Get your hands off her!" A loud growl echoed through the sky, thunder rumbling down after it.

The cold glow stopped as Boris looked around the sky.

Suddenly, in a crimson blur, Boris was tackled to the street and pinned down by a column of fire.

Hilary was instantly free to move, and stumbled backward dazed.

She felt herself falling, but before she felt the ground, she felt a warm body against her.

"Are you alright?" Kai's worried voice asked.

Hilary stared up into his eyes as he placed his hand over her heart, and a warm glowed quickly revived her.

"What...what happened?"

"Boris stole some life out of you, but I managed to break his concentration." Kai replied, helping her to her feet. "Why are you still here! I thought you would have left!"

"Well, when you take off like that, it leaves everyone worried so we had no choice but to look for you!" Hilary shouted, a little more loudly than she intended.

"Get out of here...now! I'll take care of him."

Boris broke the column of fire and charged over to Kai.

The blue haired phoenix had only just managed to push Hilary out of the way before the black phoenix tackled him to the ground, pinning him with his own weight.

Hilary found her friends, Tyson had recovered from being thrown.

"Hilary! Are you alright?" Kenny asked immediately.

"Yeah, I'm fine...you guys got to get out of here!"

"What about you!" Tyson demanded, not wanting to leave a fight.

"Kai will be fighting Boris...and he wants us all to get away...I'm going to stay, in case Kai needs me. I'll me you back at the dojo...okay?"

Reluctantly, Tyson agreed, and rushed down the street with Kenny and a sea of other people.

Hilary found a hiding place behind a dumpster in an alley and watched the fight with frightened eyes.

Kai continued to struggled under the bigger man's dead weight.

"Heh heh heh...long time no see eh, Kai?" Boris snickered, his grip burning into Kai's skin. "You look well my young Kai...I suppose your human has been treating you like one of her own!"

The younger phoenix cried out in pain as he felt his life force start to leave him. "Get...OFF!"

A large fire erupted from Kai's body, sending his enemy in the air.

Scrambling to his feet, Kai took off after his opponent, sending fireballs at him.

Boris managed to block some, sending fire crashing onto the streets below.

The two suddenly flew for each other, colliding in mid air.

Kai brought his wings around and jabbed them out in front of him, breaking the black wings off Boris' body.

He came crashing down to the asphalt in pain, moaning as he clutched his shoulders.

Kai landed gracefully in front of him a few feet away, glaring down at his enemy. "I don't know how you became a phoenix...but leave and never return!"

Boris let out another sick laugh as if those were the most hysterical lines he'd ever heard. "You still belong to me my young Kai...and I won't stop until I get what I came here for..."

"Your bond has been broken! I no longer answer to you, and never will again!" Kai roared, his crimson wings burning in fire.

"Heh heh heh..." Came another chuckle. "We'll see about that, once your master is dead!"

Weakly, he extended another arm out behind Kai, charging up a dark purple energy ball.

The blue haired phoenix glanced over his shoulder and saw Hilary's head, poking out behind a wall. He gasped, and bounded over to her.

Boris released the attack, and it flew straight for Hilary.

The girl covered her head with her arms, expecting the attack to hit her, but found herself being picked up by something warm and lifted high into the sky.

The dumpster had explode, sending garbage and debris flying all over the street.

"Kai!" She gasped, opening her eyes.

Looking around, she saw that she was at least fifty feet from the ground, and flying at a great speed through the air. She clutched at Kai's torn shirt for life, not wanting to plummet to her doom if Kai lost his grip on her.

"You...you saved me!'

"I told you to run! Why didn't you listen!" Kai stared down at her, his expression full on anger and rage.

Hilary let out a faint sound of surprise and sunk further down into his arms. "I...I thought you might need my help..."

"What could you do against another phoenix! We have powers you will never understand!"

"I...I'm sorry..." Her voice was reduced to a whisper. She felt horrible inside.

Kai sighed sadly, bringing his head down to nuzzle her hair. "I didn't mean to upset you...I just don't want to see you get hurt..." His voice was suddenly soft, and full of concern.

Hilary opened her mouth to reply, but was suddenly stopped as something hit Kai in the back, causing him to cry out in pain.

"Kai! Kai!" The brunette shook him slightly as she felt them dropping to the ground.

The phoenix seemed to snap out of it, and flapped his wings furiously before they hit the street. His breathing came in short, raspy gasps and his wings began to shake under the current of wind.

Hilary glanced over his shoulder to see that Boris had apparently fired another attack, but this time it hit its mark. Kai's whole back was scared in burns, and steam sizzled out of his skin. Even the beautiful crimson color of his wings had turned black where they came out of his shoulders, and she could feel the warmth of Kai's body quickly disappearing.

"Hold on Kai! You can make it!" Hilary egged him on, seeing that Tyson's dojo wasn't far now.

They were losing altitude fast, and Hilary feared that they would fall right out of the sky.

The phoenix was now directly over Tyson's back yard, and let out a long, exasperated sigh before plummeting down into the grass.

Hilary screamed as they descended, but Kai managed to flap his wings one more time to break their fall before he collapsed, dropping Hilary beside him.

The brunette crawled over to the fallen phoenix, shaking him slightly. "Kai!"

Tyson and Kenny tore through the dojo, seeing them fall into the backyard.

"What the heck happened!"

"He's hurt bad! Let's get him inside!" Kenny exclaimed, examining the burning wound on the phoenix's back.  
----------------------------  
_  
Yeah...this is going much faster than I had hoped. Sorry about that._

Anyway...as I said earlier, I'm going to take a couple of chapters to slow down and add some stuff I wanted in before. This chapter was actually going to be longer, but it was supposed to be much later in the story.

Oh well...I'm trying to make this work out...so be patient.

Also, **please review**!


	6. Dreams of the Past

_Thank you for all the reviews last chapter! _

As I said last time, I am taking a few chapters to slow down and explain things a little more. I forgot to add a few things earlier so that's why everything was going too fast, but oh well...I'm going to fix it.

I'm saying this **again** because someone...as always...didn't read my notes last chapter.

So anyway...I'm not sure how this chapter will turn out. It was one of the first chapters I wrote when I started this fic...

Here's the next chapter...enjoy if possible!

----------------------------  
**  
Chapter 6 - Dreams of the Past**

"What are we going to do!" Kenny wailed hopelessly. "We don't know anything about this!"

The three teens had managed to drag the wounded phoenix inside and laid him down on a futon on his stomach.

Kai continued to hiss in pain, his wings twitching wildly as if he were trying to fly away.

Hilary ran her fingers through his hair, hoping to calm him down. "He'll heal himself...so we just have to wait. It looks like a pretty nasty wound though...so it will probably take some time..." Suddenly, she grabbed her heart in apparent pain.

"Hilary!" Tyson and Kenny rushed to her side.

"Are you sure you weren't hurt?"

"I'm fine...it's just...he's having some sort of nightmare...I...I can feel his pain, his anger, and his fright!"

Everyone's eyes turned on the unconscious phoenix, whose claws were digging their way through a pillow.

His brow was knotted and his eyes clenched shut as tight as possible.

"Kai..." Hilary whispered, placed her hand on his. "It's alright...I'm here with you..."

:

"Lady Keira!"

A young woman walked outside, her long blue hair flowing in the wind behind her. She looked around for who had called her, and found her answer in the sky.

A large man with bulging muscles floated down onto the ground gracefully, a small bundle of crimson feathers in his arms.

"What happened to him?" Keira demanded, taking the small form out of his arms.

"I found him just outside the city walls. I think he was trying to fly out into the human world."

Keira sighed. "Thank you Cyrus."

The man bowed. "My pleasure my lady." With that, he flew back off.

She carried the small child inside and set him on a bed.

"Owww!" The boy cried out in pain as Keira forced his crimson wings to spread out.

"My son..." The woman sighed. "You must stop this! This is the fifth time this week! Why do you keep this up!"

"I want to go outside of the village!"

"To where the humans live!"

"Yeah!" A smile came to the boy's face. "I want to know what they act like!"

Keira sighed. "How many times do I have to tell you...you shouldn't fly! You're too young!"

"But why can't I!" The young phoenix demanded. "Why can't I fly like everyone else!"

"You have to realize...that..."

"That I'm blind? Yeah...I'm sure I already knew that..." Crimson eyes narrowed at his mother.

"You'll be able to fly once you get more used to your surroundings here..."

The boy sighed. "Yeah right...I'm going to be an outcast for the rest of my life!"

"You have something special inside of you! You have a great power...and power from the great god Dranzer!"

"If I'm so great...why does everyone treat me weird?"

"Heh..." Keira smiled sadly and ruffled her son's blue hair. "What are you talking about?"

The child glared in his mother's direction. "I know they look at me weird...everyone acts different around me..." His gaze dropped to the floor. "And since you won't let me fly..."

His mother started to reply, but was cut off by a shrill cry outside.

"Humans!"

"Quick! Hide the boy!" A man ran in, a look of panic on his face.

The young boy soon found himself being rushed into a small room hidden beneath the floor boards.

"What's going on?" He asked, confused.

"It's alright my son...don't come out of here until I come to get you...alright?"

He nodded slowly, still not understanding why he had to hide, but obeyed nonetheless.

He heard his mother rush out of the house and join a couple others from the village.

"What are you doing here!" Someone in the small crowd demanded as the humans stopped in front of them.

"Where is he?" One of the men demanded.

"How dare you come to our land and demand things of us!" One of the phoenixes growled.

"Leave now!" Keira's voice came from behind the crowd.

The crowd parted slightly, and a young woman walked forward.

"Ah...so you are the legendary queen of the phoenix tribe." One of the men started.

"Humans are no longer welcome here. Leave now before we are forced to remove you."

"I would say you're in no position to do anything with us." With that, the second man drew a strange looking weapon, causing the phoenixes to gasp and retreat a few steps. It was similar to a normal gun, but something was definitely strange about it, and the phoenixs could sense it.

Keira only glared.

"Now...give us the boy."

"What boy?"

"Don't play stupid woman! There is only one phoenix every thousand years that is born with the power of Dranzer...and this phoenix is here among you!" The elder man roared.

Keira growled. "What would a human know of our god Dranzer?"

"We know plenty!" The second man butted in. He had purple hair with a large nose and appeared to be at least ten years younger than his companion. "Every thousand years, a phoenix is born with the power of Dranzer...but this power comes with one great price...I think you know what I mean."

The woman's feathers ruffled in anger.

"Shame isn't it?" The older man started. "Just think what such a power could be like...if only the user could see!"

"GET OUT!" With a flick of her wrist, Keira sent a golden fireball toward the two humans, causing them to jump out of the way.

"You little..." The purple haired man re-aimed his weapon and fired.

"Lady Keira!" Cyrus threw himself in front of the woman, taking the hit.

With a loud grunt, he sunk down to his knees in pain.

"Cyrus!" Everyone gasped at the power of this strange weapon.

A golden bullet had hit Cyrus in the back of the neck, and he could feel his life fading quickly.

"Be careful...my lady...they could defeat us all!" With that, Cyrus disintegrated into a cloud of ash.

"What did you do to him?" Keira yelled, tears in her eyes.

"This is something I whipped up to get what I want..." The man replied, smirking as he blew the smoke from the end of the gun. "What you don't realize is that if you are hit with anything containing a magical power, you will perish!"

"Did you hear that? If you don't show yourself, you'll have the blood of your people on your hands!" The older man yelled into the wind, hoping to drag out his target.

Something caught Keira's eye inside the open house. The floor board that her son was hiding under was quivering slightly, as though he was trying to come out.

She hissed in an attempt to stop him, but the man heard her.

"Heh heh...so...trying to protect your child, aren't you?"

With a growl, the blue haired woman lashed her claws at the man, only to be back handed with the butt of the gun and pinned to the ground, her wings flapping wildly.

The others prepared to attack, but were stopped when the purple haired man held the gun to the back of her neck.

"Back off now or your queen will become ash!"

That was enough to stop the small crowd as the older man poked around the floor boards of the house.

Suddenly, he found what he was looking for.

With a sickening laugh, he kicked open the loose floor board and reached in to pull out a struggling young phoenix.

"Please! Spare him!" Keira cried out.

The young crimson phoenix didn't like the panic in his mother's voice...but he couldn't figure out was going on.

"Well well well...who knew that such a young child could have such a strong power!"

The blue haired boy growled, showing his pearly white fangs. "Release me!"

He managed to squirm around enough to sink his fangs into the man's hand, blood quickly seeping out.

"AHHH!" The man recoiled in pain, dropping him onto the ground.

But before the young phoenix could run, the man had grabbed him again, this time with a small knife in his hand.

Kai suddenly felt the cold steel in his arm, cutting through his flesh.

"You monster! He's just a child!" Keira called from outside, still fighting the other man's dead weight.

"This is exactly what I've been waiting for!" The older man smirked, his hand dripping with blood.

The phoenix hissed, the crimson feathers on his wings ruffling and glowing with ember.

"Come here!" The man seized the boy's injured arm with his bloody hand and lifted him into the air. "Finally! I'll control the greatest power in the universe!"

A glowing aura appeared around the two.

"I, Voltaire Hiwatari claim this power as mine!"

"No!" Keira's voice cried out, tears in her eyes. Using her wings, she managed to hit the man off of her and get to her feet.

She jumped out for her son, but collapsed in pain as something hit her leg.

The man had shot her, but for some reason, he wasn't going to kill her just yet.

"What...what do you want! Why did you hurt my mother?" The young phoenix demanded to know as the aura faded and he was dropped to the ground again.

The man only laughed, his eyes wide and dilated with madness.

"You're mine now!"

With that, the child was thrown outside, where he instantly knew something was terribly wrong.

Sniffing the air, the blue haired phoenix could tell that something had been burnt, but it had a familiar smell to it.

Glancing around, he could see someone holding his mother down, the man that threw him out of the house, and the three other phoenixs from the small village.

He reached out to touch the ground in front of him, and instead of feeling the coarse grass and dirt, he felt something soft and slightly warm.

After a moment, he realized what it was, and in a scream of terror, scurried backward until he ran into the wall of his house.

"Cy...Cyrus!"

"Run away my son! Fly away!"

The child gasped, fear etched in his face. That was his mother's voice, and the panic he could hear in her voice, and the rapid pace her heart was beating told him that something bad was going to happen.

There was a sickening cackle next to him, diverting his eyes upward to the man who declared himself as Voltaire. He placed his hand on top of the blue hair. "I shall call you Kai...you will become great under me!"

Kai shook his hand off of him and growled.

"We'll be able to conquer the world!" Voltaire roared. "And we shall start here..."

The little phoenix gazed up at the man as if he were crazy.

"No! Don't look at him! You must resist what he tells you!" His mother cried again.

She was crawling, trying desperately to get to her son, but the man's voice interfered.

"Kill them all!"

Kai's eyes snapped open, fire quickly beginning to build up around him. He tried to hold it in, but it was as if he couldn't disobey what this man had told him.

"No...NO!" The young boy cried, tears flowing from his blind eyes.

He couldn't stop it, no matter how hard he tried. Even in his young age, he could figure out what this man was trying to do...and he was going to be used to annihilate his own race!

But his strength was quickly failing, and soon fire erupted in a giant blaze, engulfing everything in sight.

Silence...Kai could hear nothing but the hideous laughter of the man that forced him to do such a terrible act.

The boy fell on his knees, tears flowing freely now.

"Mother! Mother where are you!" He crawled along the scorched earth, pawing the ground in feeble attempt to find his parent. "Where are you mother! I...I can't see you!"

Panic was quickly invading his senses. He had always been able to find his mother's heart beat...to see her body heat, just like everyone else...but this time he was left in a sea of darkness, with only a few remaining flames burning off in the distance.

"...My son..." He heard someone croak out.

Whipping his head to the side, he was able to make out a faint outline of a person, and outline that was fading fast.

The young child scrambled over and embraced his mother, unable to hold back any emotion.

"Shhh...my son..." She started, her voice barely above a whisper.

"I did this...didn't I!" He sobbed, clenching the burnt fabric of his mother's shirt. "I'm sorry...I'm sorry...I'm sorry..." He continued to say those words as if they were the only ones he knew.

The boy became quiet as he felt a hand on his tear stained cheek. "This is not your fault...that man...he is of the evil kind."

Kai's watery crimson eyes trailed back over to the Voltaire, who was still laughing mad at the display of sheer power.

"Because of that bond...you won't be able to resist him, but you...you must find the strength in your heart...to do so..." The woman coughed, her whole body lurching upward.

"Mother!" The young boy cried as her body disintegrated into a light grey ash. Kai could only stare at the place she had been with wide eyes, his tears falling down and mingling with the ash as the wind began to blow it away.

"NOOOOOO!" A huge fire erupted around the small child, growing in intensity and brightness as it reached high into the air.

He got to his feet, fangs glistening and a darkened aura around him. "You...you took my mother away! Why did you make me kill everyone!" The young phoenix demanded, shooting fireballs at the elder man, who didn't seem threatened at all.

Voltaire only laughed more. "Foolish child! Your fire can't hurt your master!"

Kai fell to his knees in shock, the fire around him dissipating. He had been told on the blood bond before...and right now he was bound by it.

Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in the back of his head, and he was sent face first into the charred earth.

He could only hear the sadistic cackles of Voltaire and Boris as he drifted off into unconsciousness.

With a startled cry, Kai jerked out of his dream and sat up straight, his hands wiping sweat from his face.

"Kai?" He heard someone call him, but he didn't move. "Kai?" The voice came again.

Slowly, he glanced over to his left, only to be greeted with Hilary's worried face.

Kai let out a shaky breath, still rattled by his flashback. "..Hil..."

"Shh..." The brunette wrapped her arms around the phoenix, trying to hold back her tears. "It's alright...you're not alone..." She could feel his terror at the memory of what happened so long ago. She found herself stroking the dark navy hair around his neck.

Kai closed his eyes, his body still trembling slightly. His arms snaked their way around Hilary's waist as he rested his head against her shoulder.

They held each other for a few more minutes when Kai suddenly gasped, remembering what had happened in the city.

"Hilary!" He pulled her away from him, his blind eyes surveying her body. "Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine Kai." She smiled weakly.

He sighed with relief, and rested his face in his hand as another wave of pain ran through his back. "Wha...what happened to me?"

"You were hit by Boris' attack...and you fell unconscious shortly after we crashed in Tyson's backyard. We were getting worried about you...we thought you'd never wake up!"

"How long was I asleep for?"

"Almost three days."

Kai froze for a moment, trying to force his mind to think. Suddenly, he reached back and ran his fingers across the base of his wings, the burns no longer there, but as his fingers brushed against the flesh close by, he could feel the scars, still healing.

"It's taking longer than it should..." He winced, withdrawing his hand. "Boris will be back once he figures out how to regrow his wings..."

"I thought Boris died! There's no way he could possibly live for..."

"He somehow became a phoenix during the time I was entombed. I don't know how he did it...but he's managed to gain all my powers!" Kai snarled, his feathers ruffling again. "But his wings...they were black! He has tainted the power he has gained...it shouldn't be possible!"

"Kai..." Hilary placed a comforting hand on his bare shoulder. "Let's not worry about him now...just concentrate on recovering."

The blue haired phoenix's eyes fell to his lap again. "Did you...stay with me...all this time?"

The brunette nodded with a small smile.

"Please...go and get some rest...I'll be fine now." Kai withdrew his wings and laid back down with a sigh.

----------------------------------  
_Hopefully this chapter came out all right... :hides: I was going to make that dream scene shorter, but decided against it... _

BTW: The next chapter will answer a lot more questions you probably have.

I won't be able to update for a while (probably) because school starts up again in less than a week...and I have a bunch of work to finish before then.

So...**please review**!


	7. Brooding

_Alright, first off...I have something that needs to be said._

_  
This follows that big rant I had on my other story, Heaven's Light...and unfortunately it's about the same issue._

_**DO NOT ATTEMPT TO FORCE ME TO UPDATE!**_

_I am sooo sick of saying this! _

_It hasn't gotten really bad yet, unlike Heaven's Light, but I don't wish it to get any worse._

_Writing fanfiction is **NOT** my job, nor will it ever be! Those who haven't learned to be patient should learn as quickly as possible! It will **definitely** help you with other aspects in the real world... _

And don't even **THINK **of sending me death threats. They are immature and ineffective. As I've told everyone on the other fic...I **will** delete the story if I get too many of them. (Thank God I haven't received one for this fic yet)

_I don't mind people kindly asking me when they **think** I'll update though. One person was nice enough to bring it up while I was talking with her, so I took a little more time to hurry and get this next chapter up for her. Thank you for not being rude:D It's much appreciated._

_...and to the person who was getting "annoyed" with me not updating this fic...I'm **sooo** sorry that I have **better** and more **important **things to do! I suppose you didn't see my note at the end of the last chapter that said I won't be able to update for a while because of school...and though I started a while ago, I still attend it...which means a lot of work for me! Not to mention a bunch of other things that have popped up since then! There are plenty of other good fics out there for you to read while you wait._

_Okay...enough of that..._

_Another thing that has come up is the question of where Max and Rei are. I haven't decided whether or not to include them, but at this point it doesn't look like I will. Sorry all you Max and Rei fans out there! I'm actually writing another story that involves Kai as a phoenix, and both Rei and Max will be appearing in it though…but I'm not posting that story for a while now._

_Well…I think I'm done now…._

_  
I do apologize to all the people this doesn't apply to, and hopefully I won't have to re-address this issue._

_Here's the next chapter..._

_Enjoy if possible..._

_----------------------------_

**Chapter 7**

Everyone had slept in the next day. Hilary awoke to the noisy chirping of the birds outside, and realized it was already past noon.

With a gasp, she flung herself off her make-shift bed, which happened to be located on Tyson's couch, and rushed over to her house to get cleaned up and to check on her little sister Hana.

She returned almost an hour later, and decided that it was well past time for Tyson to get up.

"I'll have the...the peanut butter fudge..." The navy haired teen moaned in his sleep, pointing up toward the ceiling.

Hilary rolled her eyes and heaved her foot into the sleeping boy's side, creating a loud cry of surprise and pain.

"What the heck Hilary!" He yelled in pure rage, holding his side.

"It's way past noon!" The brunette shouted back. "Why can't you sleep like a normal person!"

The commotion had awoken Kenny, who stumbled into the room, his hair and glasses askew. "What's going on!"

His question was answered when he saw the two teens continue their argument, and he felt it was better to just stay out of it.

Ten minutes later, the argument died and Tyson stormed into the kitchen for food and aspirin.

"Hey Chief, how's Kai doing?" Hilary asked.

"I haven't been up there yet..."

Suddenly, a loud crash came from outside, followed by a short scream from Tyson.

The two brunettes ran into the kitchen.

"What happened!" Kenny asked.

"Oh my God!" Hilary ran past Tyson and out the sliding doors into the backyard.

Kai cursed to himself as he picked himself up from the ground, scowling up at the sky.

"What the heck are you doing up Kai!" Hilary immediately began scolding the phoenix. "What's going on!"

She looked around, trying to figure the answer out for herself since the phoenix remained silent. Suddenly, she gasped. "You didn't...!"

The brunette ran a hand down her face with a sigh.

It appeared that the blue haired phoenix had gotten on the roof of the dojo and jumped off, but his wings had failed him, and he ended up crashing in the backyard.

"One more time..."

"Kai!"

By this time, Tyson and Kenny joined them outside.

"...and all of a sudden...there he was! Flat on the ground!" The navy haired teen explained.

The conversation was interrupted with another argument further out in the yard.

"I said stop!" Hilary growled, attaching herself to Kai's waist. "You're going to hurt yourself again!"

"But I have to make sure I can fly! He can show up at any time!" The phoenix tried to pry the girl's arms away.

"Kai! I _order _you to stop this!"

The blue haired phoenix glared at her, and then sighed, not being able to defy a direct order.

With a sigh, the brunette released the phoenix. "Good!"

"Is everything okay now?" Tyson asked, staring at Kai.

"Hn..." The phoenix withdrew his wings and crossed his arms, walking past the group and into the house.

"Well that was different..." Kenny started.

"He has a lot on his mind..." Hilary interrupted. "I'm sure he'll be fine in a little bit."

---

The phoenix's attitude didn't improve though. In fact, he was growing more distant as the days passed, even toward Hilary.

He decided to spend more of his time under the tree in Hilary's backyard rather than going over to Tyson's with everyone else.

Hilary sighed, glancing out the kitchen window at the sulking phoenix. "I've had enough of this…he's acting like a child!"

The brunette walked over to the sliding glass doors and entered the yard, tiptoeing over to the blue haired teen silently.

"Good morning Hilary." He stated simply once she got closer.

Slightly disappointed, the girl plopped down next to him, leaning back against the trunk of the tree. "Good morning….how are you doing?"

"Hn…"

She sighed again. This is how it had been for the past two days! She didn't want to bring the subject up, but now he was forcing it. Of course, it might do him some good to talk about it…

"You know…" She started. "It won't do you any good to mull over one thing too long..."

"I have to developed a plan...I can't guarantee my survival the next time we meet."

"Don't say that Kai!" The brunette was on her feet now. "You said yourself that he was human and somehow stole your power! How can something like that measure up to the original!

"He's had many years to develop his powers. Mine are completely underdeveloped…."

"What are you talking about!" Hilary jumped to her feet. "You put up a pretty good fight the last time! It was because of _me_ that you got hurt! Why are you putting yourself down all of a sudden! It's not like you!"

"Why should it concern you?" Kai stood up and faced her, a serious look on his face.

"Why? WHY! Are you that dense!" The brunette started. "I care about you Kai! I can't stand to see you like this! All I want to do is help you, but you won't let me understand!"

"Don't pretend to understand me! I know your kind…you only care about yourselves! And that's the way it will be whether you speak different or not!" With a snarl, Kai bent his knees and leapt into the air, scaling the roof of Hilary's house and disappearing on the other side.

"FINE! BE THAT WAY!" Hilary screamed after him at the top of her lungs. She turned and stormed back into her house with a huff, slamming the door after her.

"Stubborn boy…" She grumbled, pulling her shoes on and tying them tight. "He thinks he knows the human race? Well he's got a lot more coming then!"

---------------

_Okay…another horrible chapter completed!_

_The next chapter is boring too…I think…but the chapter after that will have some action in it. I'm just taking a few chapters to slow things down a bit, as I said a while ago. _

Please review…and tell me what you think!

_Oh, and I don't think I mentioned it, but thank you for all the comments left last chapter! I won't be replying to them in chapters anymore, since it is now officially "against the rules" but I will try to reply to them via the new "review reply" system deal…I don't know what it's officially called…:P_


	8. The Book

_Hey everyone!_

_Sorry it took me so long to update this story!_

_As I've probably stated before…I have much of this story already written out…and this happens to be one of the chapters that was needed as a transition into one of them._

_Problem is…I kinda got stuck. (nervous laugh) but I did get an idea right in the middle of one of my finals…and here you have it! Another hideous chapter!_

_Let me just take a moment to warn everyone. I've done a lot of editing for this chapter, to make it more of a decent length, and to get rid of some things that weren't really necessary. As a result, things may happen quickly in this chapter, and some things might not make much sense._

_I'm sorry about that…but I tried to actually do a decent job with this…and I probably failed miserably._

_I know this story is dragging a bit, but in about two chapters, the action will pick up again, and another action scene will finally show itself in about the tenth or eleventh chapter. So **please** bear with me until then…_

_I believe that's all I have to say for now…_

_Enjoy if possible…_

------------------------------------

**Chapter 8 – The Book **

"Ugh…" The air in Kai's lungs left him for a brief moment as he landed hard on the ground. Taking a long, wheezy breath, he forced himself up on his knees and stood up.

"This is ridiculous…" He growled to himself. Frustration and anger covered his features. All his injuries had healed for the most part, but for some reason, he couldn't get back into the sky! All he had been able to do so far was glide a few feet before his strength gave out, or he got so close to the ground that he had to land. He knew his wings had been damaged from Boris' attack, but was it possible he had placed a spell on them?

With another growl, he brushed himself off and jumped at the tree in Hilary's backyard, sinking his claws into its already damaged bark. He scaled it quickly, climbing to the very top branch and jumping onto the roof.

He stood straight, closing his eyes and lifting his nose into the air, as if sniffing all the scents the wind carried past him. How he longed to fly again! But he only wished he had been able to spend more time with his own kind…since he had been unable to learn about all the important things of his species. It would have certainly helped him now…

The crimson phoenix let out a miserably long sigh as he opened his eyes to gaze blindly into the dark landscape of his world.

Taking a few steps backward to the other side of the roof, he bent his knees, preparing to launch himself into the air. In the blink of an eye, he burst out into a run and took a leap into the sky, spreading his crimson wings to catch the wind under him.

There were a few moments where he was sure he was flying again, and a smile crossed his face. But that smile quickly changed as he felt himself falling at an alarming pace, and soon, a familiar pain he had felt all too many times racked his body as he came into contact with something hard.

He skidded across the grass, tearing the sod from its roots, and came to a stop next to the tree in the center of the yard.

With a groan, he sat up and slumped against the tree, closing his eyes in exhaustion.

"Kai?"

The phoenix's eyes snapped opened as he craned his neck around at the sound of the voice.

The little girl took a step back, seeing the fierce gaze in his eyes.

"Hana…" Kai's face immediately softened as he realized who was calling him. "What are you doing out here?"

"Um…did you and Hiwary have a fight?"

Kai returned his gaze to the scenery in front of him. "Hn…"

Hana walked up slowly behind him and touched his wings gingerly, causing a violent spasm to run through his body.

"Are you not feeling good Kai?" She plopped down beside him.

Before the phoenix could do anything to reply, Hilary's voice called her from inside the house.

"Hana! Your ride is here! Hurry up already!"

"Aww…" The little girl gave a pouty face and stood up. "I'm going to summer camp, so I won't be here. I hope you feel better soon!" With that, she gave Kai as big a hug as she could manage, and disappeared inside the house.

The blue haired teen sat in silence for a while, until he heard the door slide open behind him.

"Any progress?" It was Hilary. She suddenly sighed. "Look at you…you're a mess…"

"Why should it concern you?"

The brunette growled. "Don't start this again Kai! It concerns me because I want it to!"

Kai couldn't understand it. After speaking harshly to her, after rejecting her company for the past few days, and being completely rude, she still was willing to help him.

"Why…why are you so different?"

"Huh?"

"All these years…and I have found no such kindness as the kind you have shown me…why do you continue to care?"

By this time, Hilary had taken a seat next to the phoenix, exactly where her sister had been.

"There is this thing called friendship. Friends care for each other, no matter what. They will always love you, protect you, help and comfort you at any given moment…"

"So we are…friends?" Kai turned his glossy eyes toward the girl, a puzzled look on his face. "Even though…"

Before he could finish, she cut him off with a smile and threw her arms around him. "Of course we are!"

There was along moment of silence before Kai spoke again.

"I…I am sorry…for my behavior the past few days…"

"Oh don't be so formal Kai! It's nothing to worry about! We just want to help you anyway we can!" Hilary moved so she was now sitting in front of the phoenix. "Now…that was a fast make up, wasn't it?"

Kai only shrugged, his gaze still focused on the torn up yard next to him.

"You look exhausted…why don't you take a break from this? I won't stop you…but I don't want you to hurt yourself trying…okay?"

He took a moment, but finally shook his head in agreement.

---

After a few hours, Kai assured Hilary that he was completely fine now, and went back outside, preparing to climb the tree once again onto the roof.

"_I'm going to do it this time…I was so close before…I **must** succeed this time!"_

"Hurry up before the neighbors see you up there!" Hilary's voice from the ground interrupted the phoenix's thoughts.

"Here goes…" He started out running, just as he had done many times before. He neared the end of the roof, and soon he felt his legs bending in preparation to leap into the sky.

"_Yes!"_ Kai exclaimed to himself as he felt his crimson feathers spread outward as they were supposed to do, ready and waiting to catch the current of air to send him into the sky.

Hilary held her breath as he jumped off the roof, his large wings stretching out with all their might by his sides. She was expecting him to fall, but he was staying in the air, gliding further from the house.

Time seemed to stand still for her as she watched, fearing that his wings would collapse on him again and send him falling to the earth. Suddenly, Kai began to fall, but he was waiting for it. With a strong flap of his wings, his body jerked upwards and he took to the sky.

The brunette couldn't help but cheer as she jumped up and down in joy.

Kai let out a laugh, feeling the wind toss his hair about him. "Finally!" He took a sharp turn and returned toward Hilary, landing gracefully on the ground in a shower of feathers.

"You did it!" The brunette threw herself at the phoenix, wrapping her arms around his neck in joy.

Kai let out a soft chuckle, a proud smile appearing on his face.

"_He's so happy right now…like a bird that has just been let out of its cage. He deserves to be free like that…I wonder if there is a way to free him from this bond…"_

"Hey Kai!" Hilary started, pushing her thoughts to the back of her head for a moment. "Why don't we try a change of scenery?"

---

"Where are we going Hilary?" The blue haired phoenix asked as he was being dragged down the street by the arm.

"When I was watching you fly…I couldn't help but thing of this bond deal…"

"What about it?" Kai was confused now.

"You shouldn't have to be bonded to someone! When I saw you in that cave…I knew this is something I wanted to do!"

"Alright…if that is your wish…" The phoenix felt his cheeks grow hot in a slight blush, but it quickly faded. "So what do you plan on doing?"

"I want to see if I can find any books on phoenixes at the library!"

"Library?" What a strange word that was to the blue haired phoenix.

"I'll explain later…"

---

They had come to the local library. Large, white steps lead them up to the main doors, and together the phoenix and the human walked through and into the main lobby.

The stale air caught Kai's nose immediately, causing his face to distort in a funny way.

"It smells horribly in here…"

"Shh!" Hilary covered the phoenix's mouth instantly, hoping no one around them heard what he had said. "You have to be very quiet here!" She whispered softly.

"Hmph." He snorted, shaking his head free of the brunette's hand. _"What a pointless place…"_

"Just follow me!"

---

The two made their way through all the cases of books. Hilary had collected quite a pile of books related to ancient magical creatures and such, and had asked Kai to help carry them.

"This one looks good…" Hilary grabbed another book and placed it on top of the growing stack in Kai's arms.

"You actually believe that you will learn something about my kind in these…books?"

"I do! You wouldn't believe how many books there are on phoenixes here…" She plopped another thick book into Kai's arms, the weight now making itself evident as he struggled to stay upright.

"I would believe it…" He muttered to himself, gazing off to his left.

Just then, something caught his attention. A glowing, amber colored book stood in the solitary darkness in Kai's eyes. He recognized its glow as magic, and immediately gasped.

"Hilary…"

"What is it?"

"That book…it has some magical power to it…"

She gasped. "This one?" She pointed at a random book on the shelf.

"No…up two rows…to the right…there!"

The brunette pulled the old, leather bound book from the shelf, stirring up a small cloud of dust around them.

The two coughed for a while as they made their way back to a table in the far corner of the library.

Kai let the pile of books he was carrying spill onto the table with a loud clatter, earning a stern glare from the librarian.

"Wow!" Hilary gasped, taking a seat and opening the book. "This is really old Kai…"

"What does it say?"

"I don't know…it's some weird language…"

Suddenly, Kai's hand extended over the text of the book, the tips of his fingers beginning to glow as they ran down the ancient texts.

"These are spells…and there is also some information about phoenixes!" Kai's eyes had gone wide, and he suddenly withdrew his hand. "We should go somewhere more private…"

"Right…" Hilary nodded, closing the book and carrying it over to the librarian's desk.

After a few moment, the girl returned to Kai and took his hand, leading him out of the library.

"Hilary! Is it right to take that book from this place?"

"Of course! I just checked it out! At a library, you can borrow books for a certain amount of time, and return them when you finish reading them!"

"I see…"

"Do you think you can read this to me? I want to know what it says!" Hilary felt like a young child, to be excited about a book like this…but then again, when was the last time she was able to hear something that was written in ancient, magical text?

Kai nodded silently. There was something about this book that was making him uneasy. He had a chance to learn something new, but at what cost? Would that book be the cause of something bad to happen later?

-----------------------------

_Yup…I quickly got rid of Hana by sending her to a random camp. I just got bored with her character. She was originally in there to show more of Kai's soft side, and she was originally going to be involved with Kai flying again in this chapter…but I guess I just got lazy and bored with her, so she's out._

_I apologize if this chapter was long, dull, and boring. I'm starting to put all the transitions into one chapter, rather than dragging them out…at least that's what I'm attempting to do…and I had to include that crappy scene with Hana and Kai…because when I take a character out of a story…I want there to be a reason…so in this…she went to camp….(cough)_

_There will be one more transition chapter…I think…and then the action will pick up again! Hopefully you all won't die of boredom though…because I'm getting close to it. I can't wait to get to the action parts! Hehe!_

_And I know the whole book thing is a bit random…but for some reason I wanted it in there. I'm hoping to find some sort of idea to tie it in with later chapters…so if any of you have **any **ideas, **PLEASE** let me know!_

_Don't forget to review please, especially if you have any ideas about that book! Because I **REALLY** want it in here!_


	9. The Contents of the Book

_Hey everyone!_

_  
I know it's been a while since I've updated this fic…but I have been insanely busy of late…and I don't have time to do much of anything anymore!_

_And because of that, I'm afraid that this chapter probably is a disappointment. It goes into the book only a fourth of what I originally want it to go into and it quickly switches gears and the book seems to have been forgotten. (sigh) But it's mainly a transition chapter, as I've said, and the action will kick up in the next chapter._

_I still like the whole book idea of the past chapter, so I will be sticking more things in later…if I don't forget. (nervous laugh) But I do apologize for any disappointment this may cause._

_You could say I've been in another slump…with not much inspiration lately, not just to write, but not to do **anything**! Hopefully, though…that will change once I get some free time._

_Alright…enough of my ramblings…I didn't have much time to go through and re-read it, so there may be plenty of mistakes and stuff, as there usually is. Just don't flame me too bad! _

_Oh! And thank you for all the wonderful reviews I've received!_

_Here's the next chapter! _

Enjoy if possible…

---------------------------------

**Chapter 9 – The Contents of the Book**

Immediately after walking through the door of her house, Hilary led Kai straight over to the kitchen table and pushed the book under his nose.

"Eagar, yes?"

The brunette laughed softly. "You bet!"

"Where shall we start then?" The phoenix opened the cover of the ancient book and began scanning the magical language with his finger tips.

"Let's just start with the beginning for now…"

Kai nodded, and began to read the text out loud, closing his eyes in concentration.

"_In the mystic realm of the phoenixes, one remains the sole guardian of them all. His name was Dranzer, and he protected the earth with three other sacred creatures and combined, they ruled the four corners of the world. When war broke out, these beasts were sealed away, their location unknown. Dranzer, however, managed to preserve his soul right before he disappeared."_

"_The magical powers of Dranzer have been sealed away inside the body of a single child every thousand years. This child is to be guarded from any outsiders until he grows old enough to wield it. The secret of this power is unknown, for it will awaken when the time is right. May this book guide this child as he matures into our lord and guardian!"_

"So this book was made for you…right?" Hilary's voice interrupted.

Kai nodded solemnly, knowing that this book was to be given to him by his mother only a few days after he was unjustly taken from his home. "I only wish I knew of this before I had met you…maybe then you wouldn't be in so much danger…"

"I chose this on my own free will Kai…and I will help you!"

The phoenix didn't reply, and busied himself into the book.

After reading a few pages in silence, he turned slightly toward Hilary. "This is basically a guide book for my existence…these pages contain many spells…"

"We can skip all the spells for now…" Hilary started. "Let's look for something that has to deal with the bond."

Kai stared at her, somewhat puzzled.

"I told you I would set you free…maybe this tells us how to do it!"

Remaining silent, Kai continued to trail over the magical letters.

"_A phoenix may form a pact with anyone they wish…but the phoenix is then required to serve the holder of the pact until death, or until it is broken. The pact may be transferred to another, but one has yet to be broken without death…"_

Kai paused for a moment, continuing to read in silence. "It seems there is a way to break the bond…but you alone will have to figure out how…"

The brunette let out an exhausted sigh. "Things can never be easy, can they?"

The phoenix didn't reply, and continued to flip through the book with fascination. "Maybe this can help us defeat Boris!"

"Wait a minute…will Boris come back to life when you beat him!" Hilary's ruby eyes went wide at that idea, knowing that he was someone that should only be dealt with once.

"_A phoenix's regenerative powers are centered in the wings. As long as the phoenix has them, he will be able to live on for centuries. Once the feathers begin to fall, his body will turn to ash, and he will then be born anew, with a fresh body and mind."_

"Boris is…artificial. He won't follow the same rules. According to this…he should already be dead." Kai's crimson eyes narrowed dangerously. "As time goes on, we will know more, and hopefully then we can find his weakness…"

He closed the book, trailing his fingers over the cover. Hilary could tell he already treasured that book…but she had to wonder how it got in such an easy location…

"There is no doubt…if Boris got his hands on this…"

Hilary smiled brightly at the phoenix. "We'll just have to keep it hidden then."

---

Kai had kept himself occupied in the guest room of Hilary's home for hours at a time, reading the book in complete silence. It was as if had become obsessed with the ancient texts, and though Hilary couldn't really blame him, she was beginning to worry about her friend.

She managed to drag him out of the house and over to Tyson's, where he was supposed to be training with Kenny. Stuffing the book into her bag, she led Kai across the street and over to the dojo, where they were immediately greeted by the abnormally small teen.

"Long time, no see Kai!" He smiled up at the phoenix in a friendly greeting.

He smirked slightly and nodded.

The three continued into the house and to the backyard where Tyson was busy launching and re-launching his beyblade.

"You know…it would really help if Rei or Max were here…it's boring to practice by myself!" The navy haired blader complained.

"I know…just hurry up and finish this drill already!" Kenny wailed.

With a sigh, Tyson focused his power into his blade. "Dragoon!" He called, summoning his bitbeast from deep inside the stormy blade.

The blue dragon emerged quickly with a loud roar.

"Let's go Dragoon!" His master aimed the blade for an unfortunate rock at the edge of the yard. "Phantom Hurricane!"

A fierce wind picked up around the dragon as it sped for the rock, and within seconds, it collided with it and shattered it to pieces.

"Good job, Dragoon!" Tyson smiled down at his blade, retrieving it and carrying it over to Kenny for analysis.

Kai's eyes had gone wide at the training battle. "So you…you are the guardian of Dragoon!" He stared in Tyson's direction, almost unbelievingly. "The blue dragon of the East!"

"You know about Dragoon!" The three teens exclaimed at once.

"I know of all the sacred beasts…so then it is true." He bowed his head slightly, whether in respect or thought, no one was sure. "Dragoon is now in safe hands. Do you know what have become of the others?"

Tyson and Hilary could only stand there in shock.

"You mean Draciel and Drigger?" Kenny asked, seeing that the other two weren't going to say anything.

The phoenix nodded in reply.

"They are in the bitchips of our friends Max and Rei. They live over seas though…"

"So all the sacred beasts have awakened and found guardians…" A slight smirk crawled onto Kai's face. _"The book speaks the truth!"_

"Hey! Maybe Kai could battle with me!" Tyson finally exclaimed, once his stupor wore off.

The phoenix blinked at the navy haired blader. "Battle?"

"He doesn't **_have_** a beyblade, Tyson!" Hilary snapped.

"But the Chief can build him one!"

Kai exchanged quick looks at all of the teens, not really sure if he understood, or if he really cared.

"That's a great idea! I've never studied a beyblade between a human and a phoenix before!" The puny teen typed frantically away on his laptop. "Yes!" He finally exclaimed, and ran out of the dojo. "I'll be back in a few minutes!"

"This is gonna be great!" Tyson exclaimed, patting the phoenix on his shoulder. "But you won't beat me, of course!"

Hilary growled in rage, glaring daggers at her navy haired friend.

"Let's take a break!" Tyson rushed inside the dojo, heading straight for the kitchen.

Hilary followed with a slight moan, leaving Kai outside by himself.

The young phoenix was still standing there, blinking in confusion. "What the heck just happened?"

---

Kenny was back as quickly as he said. He came bursting through the doors, panting heavily for breath. "I'm…back!" The brunette wheezed, stumbling into the kitchen to find Hilary making a small lunch for Kai and Tyson.

"Welcome back Chief! What did you rush off for?"

"This!" He opened his hand to show Hilary what he had retrieved.

She gasped softly. "That's awesome…but do you think…"

"He'll have fun with it, I'm sure!" The small teen smiled.

Meanwhile, Tyson was trying to explain to the blue haired phoenix how a TV worked, with little success. He finally gave up just as Kenny and Hilary walked in and took their seats in the living room.

"Yes! Food!" Tyson immediately dove for the food and began to devour everything.

"Here Kai…" Hilary walked over to where Kai was standing and gentle opened his hand, placing the object Kenny had retrieved from his house.

"What is this?" He felt the circular object, his brows furrowing in concentration.

"It's a beyblade! After lunch, you can try to battle Tyson…only if you want to, that is."

"Hn…I suppose there is nothing wrong with that…."

Suddenly, the show that was blaring away was cut off by an urgent voice.

"AURGH!" Tyson exclaimed in rage, grabbing the remote and flipping through the channels.

"Hold on Tyson!" Kenny jumped for the remote.

"It was just the stupid news!"

With a sigh, Hilary trotted over to the couch and snatched the remote out of the teen's hand. "I want to see what's going on too!" She flipped back to the news, and everyone gasped at what they heard.

A reporter was standing out in the street downtown, trying to explain what was happening as masses of people ran about in a complete panic. The reporter himself seemed shaken up, but was trying to regain his nerves as he spoke to the camera.

_"We're here live downtown where a series of strange events have taken place all this week. I'm not sure what's going on just yet, but we'll try to find someone to tell us...excuse me sir!"_ The reporter grabbed a man who was running by at full speed. _"What's going on down there?"_  
_  
"It's...it's horrible!"_ The man wailed. _"Run away! Get away before he comes this way!" _With that, the man ran off again.

_"Ma'am!"_ The reporter called out to another person that ran by. She was carrying her daughter who was about three years old.

_"An angel! He's like an angel!" _The young girl exclaimed.

_"He's attacking everything in sight!"_

The woman ran off, and seconds later, screams erupted from down the street.

The camera moved its focus in the direction of the screams. The road was littered with rubble from damaged buildings and craters. Police cars had been destroyed, and some of them were still in flames, their operations lying motionless across the sidewalk.

A gasp sounded from the living room as all the teens watched as the camera zoomed in on a dark figure, hovering in the sky. The commotion coming from the small box at the other end of the room caught Kai's attention, and he shuffled over to stand behind the couch.

The figure was laughing at the destruction and mayhem below, firing dark purple fire balls in random directions.

_"Come out, come out, where ever you are!"_ He chided, destroying a magazine stand on the corner of the street.

Kai growled loudly at the sound of the voice, startling everyone in the room. "Boris…"

_"He appears to be looking for something!"_ The reporter's voice came from behind the camera. _"What the hell **is** he!"_

Boris' attention was drawn at the news crew. The camera man stumbled backward and someone screamed as the black phoenix dropped down in the blink of an eye and appeared right in front of them.

He chuckled loudly at their terror, causing the hair on the back of Kai's neck to rise uncomfortably.

_"I know you are watching this Kai! If you value the rest of this city's population, come and **stop** me!"_

Suddenly, the camera went black, and a sickening screen came through the speakers, only to be cut short as the station cut the connection.

Kai snarled as he nearly ripped a large chunk out of the back of the couch and stormed out toward the front door.

"Kai! Wait!" Hilary called.

"No! He's going to kill everyone! I must stop him!" He felt around for the door knob, and threw it open. "Don't follow me either!"

Tyson, Kenny and Hilary remained silent as they heard him extend his wings and fly away.

Suddenly, Hilary's voice broke the silence. "Quick! Turn to another station!"

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_Alright. The chapter is finally over!_

_I added two chapters together for this again…but it still came out too short for my liking! But oh well…at least I'm getting to the action!_

_The first part with the book turned out **a lot** shorter than I wanted it to. And I left out a lot of information, but I wanted some things to be a surprise later on._

_I hope this didn't suck too badly...please review!_


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